Progress Report: 30 Burpees

If any of you have been playing along at home, you might be wondering, "so, how did it go?" What was the result of completing 30 Burpees for 30 Days?  Today would be 33 days since the challenge was issued.

I'm very excited to announce... [drumroll]...

That I still have nine more days to finish.  *sigh*

Truth be told, it's been 30 Burpees for 21 Days that's actually taken 32 Days to accomplish.

For various reasons that can only be summed up as "LIFE," the journey has been extended.  Throw in some holidays, long work days, extra work days, and other strength workouts that made an additional 30 burpees superfluous or downright impossible (jello triceps, anyone?), it's taking longer than originally anticipated.

Sometimes I missed just one day and got back on track, but there were a couple three and four day burpee-less stretches.

Oh well.

Really?  Oh well?

Don't confuse my acceptance as nonchalance.  I'm sure that doing the exercise every day for thirty consecutive days would have crazy awesome benefits.  However, doing the exercise for 21 out of 32 day days has had a noticeable impact.  I didn't just give up after missing a few sessions.

I am stronger.  I can actually do push-ups again!  From my toes and not my knees.  Not many, but they are getting a little bit easier, and my form is better.  Not great, but better.

Whereas the first burpee session took over eight sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes, it now takes about four sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes.  Sidebar: Burly took on the challenge too, and he knocks it out daily in two minutes.  Men.

My body composition is shifting and I'm starting to shed some weight.  There's a little less torso insulation, and sustainably two pounds are gone since mid-December.  Of course, as mentioned earlier, I've been doing other strength activities regularly, like squats and split lunge jumps, but the regular Burpee challenge is keeping it going with a steady load of swim-bike-run.

Hopefully in nine days, I can blog about achieving this goal.  Heck, while I'm being so honest today, it will probably be in ten or twelve days!

As with most things in life, it doesn't always go as planned.  Achieving some goals takes longer than desired.  The ability to simultaneously persevere, yet enjoy the journey, I believe, is what adds layers of richness to life.  The perspectives, the stories, the pictures, the jokes... they can't be enjoyed while running straight to the goal, but rather in those moments of delay, whether deliberate or circumstantial.

Perhaps I'm just fabricating an elaborate excuse as to why I didn't just "git her done."  Or perhaps, I'm just living life.

And, for the record, burpees still suck.  See you in nine ten twelve days or so.